CW · Open school■ 2027 calendar / Costa Mesa1 / 5
Workshop
Costa Mesa studio · Four days
Backpack and Rolltop Workshop
Four days at an industrial machine in the Costa Mesa studio. Four students, two finished bags, no sewing experience needed. One session a month through 2027.
- FormatMon to Thu, 10am to 5pm. 24 hours at the machine.
- BuildMarket Tote, then a Conceal Pack (19L or 21L) or a Rolltop
- Seats4 per session
- ExperienceNone needed. Industrial machines, taught from zero.
- IncludesAll tools, fabric, hardware and patterns
- Price$1,499
I’m teaching at RISD this spring, so the calendar is lighter than usual. These are the weeks I’m home in California.
CW · The calendarOne session a month2 / 5
The 2027 dates.
One four day session a month, Monday to Thursday. December and January are full. Pick a month, reserve a seat, and choose your bag on the next page. Four seats a session, so the months go quickly.
- 01 December 2026 Mon Dec 7 to Thu Dec 10 Sold out Join waitlist
- 02 January Mon Jan 11 to Thu Jan 14 Sold out Join waitlist
- 03 March Mon Mar 22 to Thu Mar 25 4 seats Reserve
- 04 April Mon Apr 19 to Thu Apr 22 4 seats Reserve
- 05 May Mon May 10 to Thu May 13 4 seats Reserve
- 06 June Mon Jun 14 to Thu Jun 17 4 seats Reserve
- 07 July Mon Jul 12 to Thu Jul 15 4 seats Reserve
- 08 August Mon Aug 16 to Thu Aug 19 4 seats Reserve
- 09 September Mon Sep 13 to Thu Sep 16 4 seats Reserve
- 10 October Mon Oct 11 to Thu Oct 14 4 seats Reserve
- 11 November Mon Nov 15 to Thu Nov 18 4 seats Reserve
- 12 December Mon Dec 6 to Thu Dec 9 4 seats Reserve
Dates can shift by a week if studio work demands it. You’ll hear from me first.Costa Mesa, California · hello@canvasworker.com
CW · Pattern storiesEvery bag starts flat3 / 5
Every bag in the room starts as flat pieces. These are the ones you sew, drawn as posters.
More on Instagram
A note from the studio · 4 / 5
I learn the most when I look at the work through more than one lens.
I’ve spent thirty years designing bags for more than fifty brands, Burton, The North Face and Nike among them. That work hasn’t stopped. Most weeks I’m VP of Advanced Concepts at Guang Der Group, where my clients are mainly Nike and TUMI.
CANVASWORKER grew up alongside it. It started as a hobby at a sewing machine, became a studio, then a classroom. The best part is still the room: four people, four machines, and everything that gets talked through between seams. Students came from real companies, and a lot of them became clients and friends.
This spring I’m also teaching at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), an industrial design studio called What We Carry, built with TUMI. So the 2027 calendar here is lighter than usual: one session a month, on the weeks I’m home in Costa Mesa.
The work sells in person, with a handshake. Workshop seats are the one thing you can book here.
Doug Davidson
- 30years designing bags
- 50+brands, Burton to Nike
- 4seats, every session
CW × The Brown BuffaloMade in the same room5 / 5
The studio behind The Brown Buffalo.
The Conceal Pack you build in class is the bag we cut, sew and ship under The Brown Buffalo. Same patterns, same machines, same bench. If you would rather carry one than make one, that’s where to go.
CW · From the notebookCosta Mesa studioContact sheet
One off pieces, experiments, and the stories behind them.
CANVASWORKER · Costa Mesa, California · Built by hand. One at a time.